Your New Puppy
You will be coming in a lot with your new puppy. You will have 3 full examinations with the doctor. Depending on your
puppy’s exposure and which vaccines we recommend, you will bring your puppy in for shorter visits with our
technicians. We don’t like to over vaccinate so we will only give your puppy what it needs and we don’t like to do too
many vaccines at once so you may be coming in several times to complete each series of vaccinations.
Vaccinations
There are two core vaccines, DISTEMPER and RABIES.
1. The Distemper vaccine, or the DA2PP protects against Distemper (a virus that attacks the digestive, respiratory and
nervous system), Adenovirus (a disease that affects the liver), Parvovirus (a virus that attacks the digestive and immune
systems) and Parainfluenza (a viral respiratory disease).This vaccine is given every 3 to 4 weeks until the puppy is 16
weeks. That last booster is good for 1 year. After that, the distemper vaccine is given every 3 years.
2. Rabies is carried by bats, raccoons, skunks, foxes and cats.
The Rabies vaccine is given between 4 and 6 months of age. The first rabies vaccine is good for 1 year, after that the
Rabies vaccine is given every 3 years.
There are three optional vaccines depending on your puppy’s exposure.
1. The Bordetella vaccine is for kennel cough. Kennel cough is airborne, so if your puppy is going to be going to a
groomer, puppy classes or a boarding facility, you may want to consider this vaccine. Most grooming facilities require
this vaccine. The Bordetella vaccine can be given orally, intranasal or by subcutaneous injection. This vaccine is given
yearly.
2. The Leptospirosis vaccine is to prevent against Leptospirosis. Lepto is transmitted through the urine of wild animals
(raccoon, opossum, fox, rats and mice). If one of these animals urinates in a puddle of water and then your puppy steps
in the water and licks his feet, or laps up the water they could be exposed to it and this could be fatal. Leptospirosis is
also transmissible to humans. In the past year or so, we have seen several cases of Lepto and are encouraging clients to
take the precaution and protect their pets if the exposure is present. This vaccine is given once, and then repeated three
weeks later. Then it is given yearly.
3. The Lyme vaccine is to prevent Lyme disease. Lyme disease is transmitted through deer ticks. We are seeing cases of
Lyme disease all throughout the island. Birds can pick off deer ticks and drop them where they may. This vaccine is
given once, and then repeated three weeks later. Then it is given yearly. This is recommended if your puppy will be in
heavily wooded areas or if you plan to travel regularly to places like Fire Island, out East or camping.
Fecal Testing
A Fecal Flotation is the very first test we will run on your new puppy. We will send a sample of your puppy’s poop to the
lab where there will check for common things like giardia, coccidia, roundworms, hookworms and whipworms. If
anything is detected, we will treat your puppy with the appropriate medications. Don’t worry parasites are very
common in puppies. We will re check a fecal sample three weeks after finishing the medication to make sure everything
is gone! Because intestinal parasites are so common we just recommend you avoid letting the puppy kiss you on the
mouth.
Heartworm Prevention
Heartworm is transmitted through infected mosquitoes. We still recommend year round heartworm prevention for dogs
that never go outside, because mosquitoes come in the house. We usually start heartworm prevention at around 12
weeks of age. We test yearly for heartworm by doing a simple blood test. We will go over the different options available
for heartworm prevention, either a monthly chewable or monthly topical or a preventative injection every 6 months.
Flea and Tick Prevention
All of us on Long Island are exposed to these insects. Because of the mild winters we have been having, we are
recommending year round flea and tick protection. There are several options available that we will go over. There are
topicals, collars and chewables.
Spaying/Neutering & Microchipping
We usually recommend spaying and neutering around 6 months of age. As your puppy gets older, our doctors will let
you know when it is the right time. We usually recommend microchipping at the time of spay and neuter. We use the
Home Again microchip. You get free access to poison control with a registered microchip. A phone call to poison control
would usually cost around $70, but with a registered Home Again microchip, this call is free. If your pet gets lost, the
microchip will help reunite you with your pet. All animal hospitals and shelters use universal microchip scanners. Your
information is linked to your pet’s microchip and once scanned, your pet can be returned to you.
House Breaking/Training
Puppies are hard! However, if you put the time in now, you and your puppy will be so much happier! We recommend
using a crate for house breaking. The crate should only be big enough for the puppy to stand up, turn around and lie
down. If the crate is too big, the puppy will be able to pee and poop on one side, and sleep on the other. The idea is to
make it uncomfortable for them if they do have an accident. If they have to lie in it, they won’t be happy. If you aren’t
going to want to use wee wee pads forever, don’t start with them. It is ok to take your puppy out in your own backyard.
Keep your puppy on a leash and take them to the same spot every time. Use the same words and commands every time,
especially making sure to praise and reward them like crazy when they do go. Puppies are creatures of habit and
puppies have to go out frequently. As soon as they wake up they should be taken outside. If they don’t pee, take them
back inside and keep them in your sight. The puppy must stay in the room you are in. You can close the door, use a gate
to block the doorway, or keep him on leash near to you, but he must be near to you. If you plan to leave the room for
more than a minute (literally), the pup either comes with you on leash or goes into his safe confinement area. This will
not only prevent mistakes from happening without your knowledge, it will keep him safe as well. Second, watch for signs
of impending urination or defecation. These include wandering away from you, sniffing the floor, restlessness, whining,
panting, and circling. Then take the puppy out every 5 or 10 minutes until he or she goes.
Certain things frequently bring on a need to go, and they include chewing heavily on a toy, eating, ten minutes or so
after a big drink, waking up from a nap, or after a heavy play. When you see any of these signs take your puppy outside
and try again! It’s a process! However, the puppy will learn quickly as long as you are consistent and you will both get
into a routine. It will also help to limit the puppy’s water intake to meal times and after exercise, don’t leave it down all
day. Remember never use the crate as punishment. During the day, puppies spend a lot of time in their crate. There is
nothing wrong with that. If you cannot directly supervise the puppy, it should be in its crate. Puppies like to eat anything
and everything. They don’t know that shoes and socks aren’t toys or food! For more training tips, we recommend that
you check out trainer Brian Kilcommon’s website www.greatpets.com.
Play with your puppy’s feet, teeth and ears a lot. This gets them used to being handled. That way, when they come here
or go for grooming they will be used to it. We will show you how to clean your puppy’s ears and clip its nails. Clipping
nails can be tricky and we will always be available to you to do that. We will also go over teeth brushing.
We also recommend socializing your puppy as much as you can, we just ask that you be careful. Your puppy is not fully
vaccinated so we don’t recommend taking it to dog parks or pet stores but we DO recommend that you let your puppy
play with dogs you know that are healthy and vaccinated. We do suggest that you wait 2 weeks for puppy play time- just
in case your puppy breaks with anything like a cold and until we get the results of the fecal analysis. Also, make sure to
bring the puppy with you to experience new situations and people so he or she feels comfortable with them.